Caroline Roemer on NOLA Charter Schools’ Potential Return to OPSB

February 19, 2016

KIPP New Orleans will transfer its Renaissance High from the Louisiana Recovery School District to Orleans Parish School Board oversight if they can negotiate a satisfactory contract, officials said. KIPP’s board voted for the move Thursday (Feb. 18)

This is the city’s second “yes, if” return vote, something that has never happened in previous years’ discussions. The New Beginnings charter group voted Feb. 11 to transfer two of its schools, Pierre Capdau Charter and Lake Area New Tech High, conditional on property insurance rates. Last year, the board of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Charter voted to return with no conditions, seemingly complete confidence and lots of fanfare.

It’s a bit of a head-scratcher. Caroline Roemer, executive director of the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools, said that while the public conversation centered on philosophy and vision — bringing the city back together, the importance of a locally elected board and the like — Recovery charter leaders reached a point where they must focus on economics and operations.